Patent GB-1222054-A (GB)
Title: Cake icing machine
Inventor: CRUZ LEON MAXINE SANTA
IPC: A21C15/00
Filed: 1969-02-05
Abstract: 1,222,054. Cake icing machines. L. M. S. CRUZ. 5 Feb., 1969, No. 6245/69. Heading A2A. [Also in Division B8] A cake icing machine includes a conveyer comprising intermittently moving supports on each of which is mounted, for rotation about a vertical axis, a table 56 adapted to receive at one end of the machine (the left-hand as shown) a cake to be iced, whereby the cake is stopped at each of a number of stations, one of the stations being an icing station comprising icing elements 100, 160 which, after the cake has stopped, are moved from inoperative positions, away from the path of the cake, to operative positions adjacent the sides and top of the cake, icing then being caused to exude from the elements to cover the cake, while a drive is coupled to the table to rotate the cake, after which the elements are again withdrawn to their inoperative positions prior to the cake being advanced to the next station. Preferably there are three further operating stations, viz: a station at which heated side irons 102 are moved towards and into contact with the sides of the cake while it is further rotated, to smooth the icing, a station at which heated side irons 104 and a heated top iron 220 are moved towards and into contact with the cake to further smooth the icing, and a further station at which heated finishing side irons 106, e.g. combing irons, and a heated patternembossing top iron 222 are moved towards and into contact with the cake to finish the icing. A final station is provided to allow the cakes to be removed, either by hand or mechanically, from the table. The table supports consist of cross-bars 52 carried between a pair of endless conveyer chains 54 which are driven by a motor 40 intermittently energized through a time delay relay (350, Fig. 8, not shown). The icing elements consist of two side irons 100 and a top iron 160, the irons 100 being provided on their arcuate cake-engaging faces with a vertical slot (140, Fig. 4, not shown), through which icing is formed from supply pipes 210, while the top iron has a diametral slot (162, Fig. 7, not shown) which is supplied with icing by a pipe 212. All the irons 100-106 are moved simultaneously towards the cakes stopped at the respective stations by a pair of fluidpressure cylinders 130. A motor 188 is simultaneously energized and operates a cam 202 to depress a plunger 204 which overcomes a return spring 184 to move the top iron 160 towards the cake at the icing station, while a further simultaneously energized motor 252 driving two cams 260, 262 similarly applies the top irons 220 and 222 to the second smoothing and finishing stations respectively. The drive for rotating the tables while they are stopped at the various stations comprises a motor 66 driving a longitudinal shaft (72, Fig. 3, not shown) which in turn drives a series of transverse shafts each carrying a friction disc 92 engaging a driven disc on the lower end of a table-carrying shaft, when the tables are stopped at the stations, so that all the tables are rotated simultaneously while the respective operations are being performed on the cakes. After the side irons 100-106 have been simultaneously withdrawn following completion of the various operations on the cakes, and during subsequent movement of the tables by the conveyer chains 54, they are cleaned by being sprayed with a mixture of air and water by spray mechanism comprising spray jets 284, supply pipes 290-298, and a motor or motors 286 driving one or a pair of pumps 288 continuously, the spray being turned on by opening a valve or pair of valves 304 via a time delay switch. Adjustment of the height of the top iron 160 is effected manually by inserting pegs 180 in appropriate holes in uprights 172 on which a platform 168 is vertically slidable, the platform carrying the motor 188 and a top iron guide sleeve 164. Adjustment of the heights of top irons 220, 222 is effected by a motor-driven screw- and-nut mechanism acting on one corner of a platform 224 which is also vertically slidable on uprights 236 and which carried the motor 252 and top iron guide sleeves 248.